1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system and method for specifying a product, and more particularly to a system and method for specifying or selecting a product by combining characteristics of other products.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to limit inventory and save store space many retailers such as furniture outlets, home improvement or department stores, etc., keep only a limited number of product types in their stores. For these products, a store may stock only representative items for each product offered. However, for seasonal or unpopular products, no stock may be on hand. In other cases, for example, furniture, while it may be possible to manufacture combinations of wood veneer and fabric that are not in the catalog, such combinations may not be offered as a choice to the shopper due to inflexible ordering methods.
As a result of these shortcomings, consumers sometimes cannot find the item they need although similar items are available on the shelf. For example, a store may have jackets that are large and jackets that are small, and jackets that are red and jackets that are blue, but not of a desired combination, for example, a large red jacket. In another example a couch may be available in either a mahogany frame and maroon colored leather or a pine frame and peach colored leather in the store but a couch with mahogany frame and peach colored leather may not be in the store.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and method for specifying an item using characteristics of other items.